![](https://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Hawaii_1778-1.jpg)
1779 - Captain James Cook discovers surfing in Hawaii
In 1779 members of Captain Cook’s crew jump overboard into the warm, blue Hawaiian waters and join the locals on their surfboards – the earliest account so far of westerners having a go at this ancient pastime.